Veterinary Practice Act 2005

Disclosure of information.

25.—(1) Save as otherwise provided by law, a person shall not, without the consent of the Council, disclose confidential information obtained by him or her while performing, or as a result of having performed, duties as a member of the Council, a member of staff of the Council (including the Registrar), a member of a committee or a consultant or adviser to the Council or a committee.

(2) A person who contravenes subsection (1) is guilty of an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding €3,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months or to both.

(3) Nothing in subsection (1) shall prohibit the disclosure of information by means of a report made—

(a) to the Council or a committee, or

(b) by or on behalf of the Council or a committee to the Minister.

(4) In this section “confidential information” includes information that is expressed by the Council or a committee, as the case may be, to be confidential either as regards particular information or as regards information of a particular class or description.

(5) The Third Schedule to the Freedom of Information Act 1997 is amended by the insertion in Part 1 at the end thereof—

(a) in column (2) of “Veterinary Practice Act 2005.”, and

(b) in column (3), opposite the mention in column (2) of the Veterinary Practice Act 2005 of “ section 25 ”.